Just out of interest, has anyone used flashers, lures or bait and if so, how did you rig it up and how did it go? All replies much appreciated 
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Flashers, lures and bait?
- Thread starter Pinniped72
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Thread Status: Hello
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I tried using mackerel heads and/or guts a few times last year. The guts didn't work too well, but heads seemed to do something. I froze them, and threw the frozen lump into the water whilst getting ready.
It worked well in my favourite mullet spot, and had mixed results in other areas. I'll try it again this year. Its better than binning (wasting) all the mackerel heads.
It worked well in my favourite mullet spot, and had mixed results in other areas. I'll try it again this year. Its better than binning (wasting) all the mackerel heads.
The SA spearos are keen on chumming/burlying. I think Miles told of folk filling onion bags with chum & leaving them in gullies in the reef. One of the S. Devon spearos (SA I believe) was very keen on gutting all of his fish immediately after shooting them, producing instant chum around himself. I usually return fish head & guts to the sea at a later date and - perhaps as a consequence - I was once greeted by a very large fish almost as soon as I entered the water, at the spot where I normally dump the head & guts. I had been dumping stuff at that spot on & off for a couple of years.
I have been toying with the idea of freezing fish head & guts onto a rope loop, so that I can tow it behind my float like a big chum popsicle!
Obviously not the thing for sharky waters though.
Having speared fish on your stringer - either at your float or on your waist - will often attract the curiosity of other fish. So catching the first fish of the day can be quite important.
I like the idea of flashers - esp. those fancy but pricey RA ones - but the visibility usually sucks so badly that chum seems like a more pragmatic approach. I was toying with the idea of using something like a set of the bigger/fancier mackerel-type feathers, perhaps those Japanese ones and/or holographic foil ones with luminous beads. You probably need the cut the hooks off (to prevent snagging & to reduce tangling) & a fishing lead on the bottom (perhaps 3 or 4oz?). Perhaps dangle it from you main float or perhaps better to use a smaller secondary float (e.g. a discarded plastic bottle), as RA seem do.
I have been toying with the idea of freezing fish head & guts onto a rope loop, so that I can tow it behind my float like a big chum popsicle!
Obviously not the thing for sharky waters though.Having speared fish on your stringer - either at your float or on your waist - will often attract the curiosity of other fish. So catching the first fish of the day can be quite important.
I like the idea of flashers - esp. those fancy but pricey RA ones - but the visibility usually sucks so badly that chum seems like a more pragmatic approach. I was toying with the idea of using something like a set of the bigger/fancier mackerel-type feathers, perhaps those Japanese ones and/or holographic foil ones with luminous beads. You probably need the cut the hooks off (to prevent snagging & to reduce tangling) & a fishing lead on the bottom (perhaps 3 or 4oz?). Perhaps dangle it from you main float or perhaps better to use a smaller secondary float (e.g. a discarded plastic bottle), as RA seem do.
I think I will try something this year for sure, it cant hurt and if it helps get fish its a definite bonus, many thanks for the replies Visibility near me can be and normally is dire, so yes chumming is definitely more useful I think but like Mr X, I really like the idea of using flashers, I think I will rig something up for the mackerel season this year............... if we have a mackerel season and if it coincides with good viz
Visibility near me can be and normally is dire, so yes chumming is definitely more useful I think but like Mr X, I really like the idea of using flashers, I think I will rig something up for the mackerel season this year............... if we have a mackerel season and if it coincides with good viz 
Down here in SA we use flashers for hunting many pelagic species. Yellowtail just love them and for me it's must have when targeting them.
My standard flasher is a Rob Allen spinner flasher. Simple, robust and effective flasher. The action of the float in the swell pulls the flasher up and down which in turn spins the stainless flashers. Below the spinner flasher in action:
I've recently started using a combination of two of Rob Allen's flashers. The bait ball flasher at the top and the spinner flasher at the bottom. I like this combo as it has a lot of different type of actions to it, it's compact so saves space on the boat and it's easy to roll up after a drift then redeploy after at the top or the drift. Just to liven things up I also add a little disco ball to the flasher to simulate the flashing sides of bait fish in a bait ball.
Combination flasher:
Some of my dive buddies use different flashers. Below is a pom-pom flasher which essentially is silver plastic bag cut to shreds. When under water it's remarkable how closely this flasher resembles a tightly packed bait ball of small fish and it's not strange to see this flasher completely engulfed by bottom fish.
Pop-pom under water:
Another effective item to add is a rattle to the end of your flasher. Pictured below is a dive buddy giving his rattle a good shake to call fish in.
As can be seen in this photo, sharks love flashers. Although they work well, I steer clear of the ladder type flashers as sharks will go for them and invariably get stuck in between the slats then swim away with the flasher and float.
As for burly or chum. When hunting Tuna it's the best way to bring these erratic swimmers up close enough to spear them. We create a chum trail by cutting sardines into sections and sporadically throwing theses pieces as we drift in the current / wind. This trail may extend up to a few kilometres if we keep chumming long enough. Any tuna that crosses the trail then eat their way to the boat where we hopefully meet them. In the area where we target Tuna (usually 20 - 40 nautical miles from shore) sharks are normally not a problem as it's mostly Blue sharks and once in a while a Mako we may encounter. Closer to the shore we normally will not make use of chum, in fact we make a concise effort to get fish that has been shot out of the water as soon a possible as to not entice any toothy critters.
Below sardine pieces can be seen seen floating down the chum trail as I wait for Tuna to make an appearance:
My standard flasher is a Rob Allen spinner flasher. Simple, robust and effective flasher. The action of the float in the swell pulls the flasher up and down which in turn spins the stainless flashers. Below the spinner flasher in action:
I've recently started using a combination of two of Rob Allen's flashers. The bait ball flasher at the top and the spinner flasher at the bottom. I like this combo as it has a lot of different type of actions to it, it's compact so saves space on the boat and it's easy to roll up after a drift then redeploy after at the top or the drift. Just to liven things up I also add a little disco ball to the flasher to simulate the flashing sides of bait fish in a bait ball.
Combination flasher:
Some of my dive buddies use different flashers. Below is a pom-pom flasher which essentially is silver plastic bag cut to shreds. When under water it's remarkable how closely this flasher resembles a tightly packed bait ball of small fish and it's not strange to see this flasher completely engulfed by bottom fish.
Pop-pom under water:
Another effective item to add is a rattle to the end of your flasher. Pictured below is a dive buddy giving his rattle a good shake to call fish in.
As can be seen in this photo, sharks love flashers. Although they work well, I steer clear of the ladder type flashers as sharks will go for them and invariably get stuck in between the slats then swim away with the flasher and float.
As for burly or chum. When hunting Tuna it's the best way to bring these erratic swimmers up close enough to spear them. We create a chum trail by cutting sardines into sections and sporadically throwing theses pieces as we drift in the current / wind. This trail may extend up to a few kilometres if we keep chumming long enough. Any tuna that crosses the trail then eat their way to the boat where we hopefully meet them. In the area where we target Tuna (usually 20 - 40 nautical miles from shore) sharks are normally not a problem as it's mostly Blue sharks and once in a while a Mako we may encounter. Closer to the shore we normally will not make use of chum, in fact we make a concise effort to get fish that has been shot out of the water as soon a possible as to not entice any toothy critters.
Below sardine pieces can be seen seen floating down the chum trail as I wait for Tuna to make an appearance:
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Fantastic post landshark sa, many thanks for it, love the shredded plastic bag, rattle and of course............ the disco ball, great stuff, lots of really useful information there, thanks again
